Type-writing machine.



Patented Am. 1Q, 1969.

INVENTDR TT-EJR'NEY iinrrnn *srA'rns aras armpit.

ALFRED F. SMITH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WYOKOFF, SEAMANS & BENEDICT, OF ILION, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909 App1ieation filed December 24, 1904. Serial No. 238,213.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED F. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type- VVriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ty ewriting machines and more especially to tlie paper feeding mechanism of such machines.

One object of my invention is to provide a card holding device of improved construction.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which serves as a stop or aliner for the leading edge of the paper or card which is to be written upon.

Other objects will subsequently appear.

To the above ends, my invention consists of the features of construction, combinations of devices and arrangements of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the concluding claims.

I have shown my invention as embodied in the well-known No. 6 Remington typewriting machine, but it may, of course, be applied to other forms of writing machines.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view taken from the left-hand side of a typewriting machine and showing the upperpart of said machine with my invention ein bodied therein, parts of the machine being omitted or broken away. Fig. 2 is a frag mentary sectional view taken on a plane passed horizontally through the axis of the platen, but showing the frame of the platen carrier in full lines. This view is drawn on a somewhat smaller scale than Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view drawnbn the scale of Fig. 1 and taken on a plane reprewnted by the line ac-a;'of F ig. 2, said Fig. 3 showing only the platen and its axle. Figs. 4' and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating different positions of the mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective detail view.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the top plate; 2, one of the osts supporting a back rail 3; 4, a shift rail and 5, one of the supports thereof. The laten carrier 6, comprising essentially a front bar 7, a rear rod 8 and side bars 9, supports, at its front, a roller 10,

which cooperates with the shift rail 4. The

platen carrier is connected by links 11 (one of which only is shown) with a carriage truck 12, which latter supports rear rollers 13 (of which only the left-hand one appears in the drawings), said rear rollers coo )erating with the back rail 3. A. plat-en axle 14:, having its hearings in the side bars 9, supports a platen 15, said platen comprising a wooden core 16, an outer sheath or cover .17 of rubber or the like, and platen ends or disks 18 and 19. Integral with the platen ends 18 and 19 are sleeves 20" and 21 which are formed with tapped holes to receive set screws 22, which screws fixedly secure the platen to its axle. The ends of the axle are provided with the usual platen finger wheels of "which only the left-hand one 23 appears in the drawing. The periphery of the righthand platen end 19 is formed with ratchet teeth 24, which cooperate with a line space pawl25 carried by a line space lever 26'; said pawl and line space lever, together with the ine space regulator 27, comprising the essentials of the usual and ordinary line spacing mechanism. of the machine.

The back rod 8 is formed with ears 28 which ivotally support downwardly and forwardly extending arms 29, and pivoted at the lower ends of these arms is a rod. 30 on which are mounted feed rolls 31. Each arm 29 is provided at its under side with a spring 32 which constantly presses the lower end of said arm 29 toward the platen.' A rod 33 is rotatably sugpoited in the side bars 9 near their rear en a, and integral with this rod are rearwardly and u wardly projecting fins 34 which are adapte to contact with projecting portions of the arms 29. The rod 33 is provided at its left-hand side with a finger lever 35 which, when actuated rearwardly, rotates i the rod 33 so that the fins 34 thereon, )ressing against the arms 29, swing the atter downwardly and rearwardly and thus move the feed rolls'31 away from their normal position against the laten to the position indicated in Fig. 1. he rod 33, which may be termed the feed roll release rod, supports a paper apron or scale plate 36 which is porfo rated as indicated at 37 to permit the feed rollers 31 to move to and from the platen. The scale plate 36 terminates at its lower end in a scale 38. Paper fingers 39 are mounted on the front bar 7 of the platen carrier and associated with each paper finger is a feed roll 40.

I The mechanism thus far described, is similar in most respects and may besaid generally to be that of the N 0. 6 Remington type- -wri'ter,.a'nd I do not, therefore, deem it necessary to illustrate or describe it with any greater degree of particularity.

. The card holding device to which my in ventionis partly directed, may be indicated,

as a whole, by the reference 41, and comprises first, a shaft 42 secondly, a plurality of gripping fingers 43, the latter terminating in right-angled ends 44 and'thirdly, a crank member 45. .As best appears in Fig. 2, the

shaft 42 is dis osed: longitudinally of the platen within tie wooden core 16; and the right-hand end of said shaft has its bearingin a depression or recess in'the inner face ofthe right-hand platen head 19, while near its .left-hand end said-shaft is supported in a plug-like member 46.

member 46 is threaded, allowing said member to be screwed into a tapped hole inthe left-hand platen head 18. Abutting the-inner face of the member 46 and fixedly secured to t'he shaft or rod 42, is a collar. 47 which prevents endwise motion of said shaft 42 after it has once been properly mounted in place.

- As best appears in Fig, 6, the shaft 42 is formed witha series of crank-like projections or off-sets 48, and embracing or surrounding each oif-set 48 is one of the gripping fingers 48. The gripping fingers are preferably formed of thin strips of metal and each projects through a hole 49 in the platenand radially of the latter. The crank member 45, Which'is fixedly secured to the lefthand end of the shaft 42, is preferably rightangled, the outer arm 50 being adapted to contact with the. working face 51 of a cam 52, which, as herein shown, is secured to the left-hand bar 9 of, the platen carrier by screws 53. That portion of the shaft 42, which is outside the platen and between the member 46 and the crank 45, is surrounded by a coiled spring 54, which normally holds the card holder in a position relative to the platen indicated in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, that is, with the ends 44 of the gripping fingers in contact with the surface of said platen.

Suppose that in operation the platen be rotated on .its axis from the position indicated-in Fig, to that indicated in both Figs. 2 and 4, in which latter position the arm of the crank member 45 is shown as it appears when it first contacts with thc worle; ing face of the cam 52. Il' now, the platen be further rotated inline space direction, either by actuatin the line space lever. 26 or by turning the p aten' finger wheel 23 or lotherwise, the card holder 41 will turn bodily with the platen, but the cam face 51, acting on the crank arm 50, serves to retard the latter, thereby causing the shaft 42 to rotate in its hearings in a direction the reverse of that The .periphery of the their ends stand seiner/ha in which the platen is being turned and against the force-exerted by the coiled spring 54; In other words, as the-shaft 42 revolves fluence of the cam 52, rotates on its own axis and in the opposite direction. Aslthe shaft 42 revolves and rotates, the relative posiabout the axle 14, said shaft, under the intions .of the crank portions or off-sets 48 are I altered in respect of the platen axle 14and the center. of the shaft 42.

ning of retardation of the crank arm 50, the

crank portions 48 are between the. platen- .jaxle l4 and thecenter of rotation of the shaft Near the end of the 42, as appears in Fig. 4. retardation of the crank arm 50, as appears in Fig. 1, 'the'off-setportions have revolved about the. center of rotation of the shaft 42 so far that said off-set'portions are between the surface of the platen and the center of rotation of the shaft 42. In other words, the olf-v At the begin-- were in contact with the. platen, stand now,

as the end of retardation is approached (Fig. 1'), at some distance away from the surface of the platen. It will be understood that the outward longitudinal movement of the gripping fingers begins at the be; gi1ining of the contact between the'arm 50 of the crank member with the cam face 51, and iscaused as the platen is rotated in line space direction to continue automatically 'in a path which is substantially radial of the platen as long as the contact between, these parts 50 and 51 continues. As, therefore, the gripping fingers approach the iaprr apron 36,

f away from the surface of the platen. In order not to inter rupt the line space movement of the platen, the paper apron 36 isformed with rectangular openings 55through which the outstanding grip nng lingers freely pass. WVhen the position of the gripping fingers, indicated in Fig. 1, is attained, the finger lever35 is actuated rearn ardly until the feed rolls 3] are i.

moved to the position shown in said Fig. 1, and thereafter the card' or sheet, Indicated by the reference a, is inserted into the machine.

between the platen and the paper apron 36,

so that the top or leading edge of said card or sheet (6 contacts with the gripping fingers 43. If, after the insertion of the paper, the platen be further actuated in a line space direction, the crank arm 50 will pass out of contact with the cam. As soon as the crank arm 50 is,

close to its top, which is a desideratum.

access free from the cam, the coiled spring 54 ronlitting the feed rolls 31, under the influence of the springs .32, to press the card or sheet against the platen behind the gripping fingers. These latter arerestorcd to ping position. before they can contact ti the scale 38 that, if the platen he l'urtlicr actuated in line space direction, the card. or sheet will he led around the platen between the latter and the feed rolls 30, paper apron 36, paper fingers 39 and feed rolls 40, it"the said paper fingers 39 and feed rolls 40 are so disposed to take in the width of the card or sheet a. Usually, however, the paper fingers 39 and their associate feed rolls are osi'tioned comparatively close to tlie'sidc liars 9 of the platen carrier, and when solocated, one or'both of them would not, a rule, be in a position to feed the card, which is usually much narrower than. the distance between the paper fingers indicated in Fig. 2.

During the entire feeding movement of the card, from the posltion indicated in Fig. 5 to that indicated. in. Fig. 4-, its leading: edge will be gripped or held closely in contact with the surface of the platen by the gripping fingers 43,30 that even without the aid of the paper fingers 39 and their associate feed rolls the ca'rd may be readily and snnoothly fed thl ohgh the machine. Since the leading edge of the card is held. in contact with the.

platen the said card may be written on veiiy t will, of course, be, understood that the charact-er and position of the operating cam may be altered so as to vary the position at which the gripping fingers grip the paper, the number ofdegrees of the arc of rotation of the platen during which the fingers shall hold the paper, or hall be actuated outwardly, and so forth.

The card holder or gripper possesses an additional function of great importance, in that the fingers 43 may scrve'as a leading edge stop for the'pa er and as a means for truing; or-aliningsaid leading edge with the of the platen. The gripping arms reach the limit of their outward longitudinal movement and immediately thereafter are snapped back into gripping position against the platen at a point in the line s ace movement of said platen. whcih is fixc and invariable. In

some forms of that k nd of commercial work known, as bill and charge work, in which the same paper is written upon in the machine at intervals and is removed from the machine between the times when entries are made-, it is essential that the paper shall be fedin to the machine-each time from a starting point which shall be unvarying. My device will perform the functions of a leading edge stop for bill and charge work in which a fixed starting )Olflll is a'prerequisi'te, and, of course, for oter forms'of Work in which, a iixcd starting; point is not a requisite; as Well as the functions of a card holder.

I am aware that various devices have hitherto been made for gripping and holding the leading edge of a card or sheet while it is being fed around the platen and I am further aware that devices have also been made which. serve as leading edge sto )S, that is as stops to position and aline the 'eading edge of a sheet; but in none of the devices hitherto employed, so far as I am aware, has the card holding and leading edge stop device been automatically actuated, and I desire to claim this feature broadly without being limited to the particular construction hereinbefore shown and described.

Various changes may be made in the form of the parts and in the relative arrangement and disposition thereof, and the construction of the invento'n as I have shown it may be altered in whole or in part, all without departing from the spiritand scope of" my invention. I I

What I claim as new and desire'tmsccure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, a gripping finger mounted in said platen and protrusivie therethrough, and means for automatically moving said finger in a ditefctlun substantially radial of the platen into and out of operative position.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen carrier, a platen rotatable thereon and provided with a plurality of openings, stops movable in said openings, and means including a device fixed to said platen carrier for automatically moving said stops into and out of operative position dur ing the rotary movements of the laten.

3. In a type-writing machine, tlic combination of a platen, a shaft mounted on said platen, a plurality of gripping fingers mounted on said shaft and protrusiv'e through said platcn, an arm mounted on said shaft, and cam adapted to coact with said arm so as to cause the said shaft to rotate and thereby move the gri ing fingers in a direction substantially ra ml of the platen.

4. In a t ewriting machine, the-combination of a p aten, a shaft mounted on said platen, said shaft being provided with crank portions or ofl-sets, gripping fingers mounted adapted to coact with said crank arm, thereity of openings, :1. combined device for squarby causing the shalt to rotate and the gripping fingers thereon to move in paths su-b stantially radial of said platen.

5. In a ty )ewriting machine, the combination of a p aten, a shaft mounted on said platen, said shaft being provided with crank portions or oli-sets, grip )ing lingersmounted on the cit-sets on said shaft, a crank arm fixedly connected with-said shaft,- a spring adapted to rotate said shaft in one direction,

and a cam adapted to coact with said crank arm thereby causing said shaft to rotate against the force of said spring, and the gripping fingers to move in paths substantially radial of said p aten.

6f Inatypewriting machine, the combination of 'a platen, a stop rod rotatably mounted within the body of said platen, and having crank portions or oft-sets, leading edge stops mounted upon said oil-sets and projecting outward radially of the platen, a spring adapted to rotate said stop rod in one direc- .tion, and a cam adapted. to rotate said stop rod in the o posite direction, the rotation of said stop ro( causing said leading edge stops to be actuated radially of the platen and'out of andinto position to cooperate with the leading edge or top of the paper.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a rotary platen, a paper feed roll, means for moving said feed roll into and out of operative position, means for holding the paper in a fixed relation with the platen, and

. means controlled by the rotation of the.

platen for automatically moving said last recited means to position to cooperate with the leading edge of the paper after it has passed between said platen and said paper feed roll.

- 8. In a typcwritmg maelnne, the con1lnnation ofa cylindrical rotary platen, a paper leed roll, means for moving said paper feed roll into and out of operative position, and means controlled by the rotation of the platen lor clamping the leading edge of the paper to the platen, said means being automatically operated at a predetermined point I m the rotation of the platen and when sald clamping means are in position to-cooperate with the paper after the leading edge thereof has passed said paper teed roll.

5). ln a typGwriting machine, the combina tion of a platen, a papcrl'e'cd roll, means for moving said feed roll into and out of, operative position, means for squaring the leading edge of the paper and'for holding it in a tired relation with the platen. and means controlled by the rotation of the platen for automatically actuating said last recited means at a predetermined point to grip or hold'the pa-v per after it has passed between said platen and said paper feed roll.

-10. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a revoluble platen having a pluraling the work sheet'and holding it against the platen in. its squared position, said device being mounted on the platen and comprising stops movable in the openings in the platen, the stops cooperating with one of the edges of the work sheet to square the latter and the gripping or holding part of said device being movable into and out of operative position with said stops, and means for actuating said device. 7

, H. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a revoluble laten having a plurality of openings, a com )ined device for squaring the work sheet and holding it against the platen in its squared position, said device being mounted on the platen and comprising stops movable in the openings inthe platen, the stops\cooperating with one of the edges of the work shcet-to square the latter and the gripping or holding part of said device being movable into and out of operative position with said stops, a spring constantly tending to maintain said device 1n gripping position, and automatic means cooperative with said device to overcome. said spring.

1:2. In a tyrmwriting machine, the combination of a platen, gaging means for squaring the work sheet, and means for automatically actuating the gaging means. 13. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a revoluble-platen, gaging-means for squaring the work sheet so that it may be written on in lines parallel with its top and bottom edges, and means for actuating said gaging means automatically at predetermined points in the revolution of the platen.

, 14. Inatypewriting machine, the combination of a revoluble cylindrical platen havinga plurality of openings, aplurality of stops movable in said openings and cooperative with an edge of the work sheet to square the latter, and automatic means for moving said stops outwardly so as'to bring said stops into operative position at a predemat ically duringthe rotative movements of the platen on said gaging means to bring it to operative position.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen frame, a platen journaled thereon, means mounted on the platen for squaring the work sheet'and for holding the work sheet at one of its edges, and means on the platen frame operating automatically to actuate said squaring and holding means during rotative movements of the platen.

18. In a ty 'ewriting machine, the combination of a paten, means for squaring an edge of the paper and for holding it clamped to the platen, said means being mounted on the platen, means cooperative with the platen to control the paper at one side of the printing point on the platen when the clamped edge of the paper has been drawn to the o posite side of the printing point, and means or automatically actuating the first recited means.

. 19. In a typewriting "machine, 'the. combination of a platen, means for squaring an edge of the paper and for holding it clamped to the platen, said means being mounted on the platen, means cooperative with the platen to control the paper at one side of the printing point on the platen when the clamped edge of the paper has been drawn to the opposite side of the printing point, and means for automatically actuating the first recited means in a direction substantially radial of the platen in two directions, said means clamping the paper when moved in one direction and releasing, the paper when moved in the opposite direction.

20. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, a gripping finger for holding an edge of a work sheet clamped to the platen, means for automatically actuating, said finger both to clamp and to release the Work sheet during rotary movements of the platen, and )aper controlling means cm'ipcrative with tie platen to control the work sheet at one side of the printing point when the clamped edge of the work sheet has been drawn to the opposite side'of the printing point.

21. In a typewrit-int'z machine, the combination of a platen carrier, :1 platen. rotatable thereon, a paper feed roll mounted on said platen carrier and cooperative with said platen, means on the platen for holding the paper in a fixed relation with said platen, and means controlled by the rotation of the platen for automatically moving; the lust recited means to position to cooperate with an edge of the pa or after the paper has passed between the p aten andthe paper feed roll.

22, In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen carrier, a platen rotatable thereon, a paper feed roll pivotally mounted on the platen carrier and cooperative with said platen, means mounted on the platen sheet against the p for clamping the leading edge of the work sheet thereto, and means automatically op? erating at a predetermined point in the rota- 1 nation of a platen carrier, a platen rota-table thereon, means for squaring the work sheet and for clamping it against the platen, and means comprising a cam fixed on said platen carrier for automatically actuating said squaring and holding means to clamp the work sheet against the platen.

24. In a typewritinp macl he, the combination of a platen carrier, a platen rotatable thereon, means mounted on the platen for squaring the work sheet so that it may be written on in lines parallel with its top and bottom edges and for clamping the work sheet at one of said edges against the platen, and means comprising a cam fixed to the platen carrier for automatically actuating said mcans at a predetermined point during the rotation of the platen to clamp the work aten. in a typewritinp machine, the combi nation of a platen carrier, a platen rotatable thereon, line spacing devices for rotating said platen step by step to space between the ines of writing, a rod mounted on the platen, a paper clamp mounted on said rod, and means comprising a cam fixed on said platen carrier for automatically rotating said rod during stcp-b'y stc line spacing movements of the platen and ti to clamp the work sheet against the platen.

26. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen carrier, a platen rotatable thereon, line spacing devices for rotating said laten step-by-step to space between the ines of writing, a rod mounted on the platen,

a plurality of clamps mounted on said rod, a

iereby causing said clamp- 

